The performing arts department has been making changes to their events and the way things are done to try and unify all the individual groups together. Before the school year began, the department’s teachers got together and came up with the idea of selling t-shirts that represent each of the performing arts, like choir and band.  This gave students the opportunity to participate in something that was bigger than just one of the art forms. Now, the performing arts department came together again to do a clothing drive for The Road Home.

“One of our goals this year as a [choir] department was to become more unified with the other departments within the performing arts, [like] theater, dance, orchestra, and band,” choir teacher Katie Houston said. “So, this is the first year we’ve done [a drive] all together.”

Items like old coats, hats, and gloves, as well as toiletries were donated. The focus of the drive this year was on clothing as The Road Home voiced a need for more articles of clothing for cold weather. Many people who are homeless or who live in poverty lack many of their basic needs and keeping warm during the winter can be a challenge.

By the last day of the drive the floor of the room where all the items were kept was almost completely covered with donations.

“I’m actually overwhelmed by how much stuff is in there. It’s almost full and we got things like jackets and hygiene items,” Houston said. “I’m just so excited that we have so much to give to the representative [from The Road Home].”

Yesterday, the representatives from The Road Home came in the morning and talked to the performing arts students about the organization and their mission and what will happen to the clothes. The much needed donations were then picked up at the end.

This clothing drive is likely one of the many events to come as the individual performing arts department merge together. As the departments teachers saw this drive as a huge success, this is now a new tradition that will be done for years to come.

“I hope that [students] can understand and appreciate all that they have, and realize that something to them, like a jacket that is too small, can mean the difference of being cold and warm in the winter for someone,” Ms. Houston said.

With the holidays upon us, Houston feels that the clothing drive was an opportunity to truly make this a season of giving.